St. Paul: Wheelchair stolen from stroke victim

A 30-year-old woman who had a stroke in September and is partially paralyzed faced a new hardship Monday, July 2: The wheelchair she uses was stolen from outside her St. Paul home.

"I couldn't believe it," said Melanie Grell. She's hoping someone will find the wheelchair, and police are asking for the public's help.

Grell was heading to the store from her North End home Monday morning when she heard her dog barking. She went back in to check on the dog, leaving her wheelchair just outside the back door in the 100 block of Atwater Street.

Grell, who said she is paralyzed on the right side, relies on the wheelchair as her main way to get around. She can walk short distances with a cane but said she isn't very fast and estimated she was gone for 10 to 12 minutes Monday morning. When she went back outside, the wheelchair was gone. She called police about 6:45 a.m.

"I think it's sad," Grell said of someone stealing a wheelchair. She said she uses the wheelchair to do things with her children, ages 7 and 10, and doesn't know what she'll do without it.

The wheelchair's battery was almost dead, and Grell hopes that whoever took it will ditch it when that happens.

She said the electric wheelchair is green and black and has a battery jump pack, which is yellow, on the back. The joystick to control the wheelchair is missing the plastic knob and consists only of a metal piece, Grell said.

Police ask anyone with information to call them at 651-266-5937.

Another 30-year-old woman also had an electric wheelchair stolen from her in St.

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Paul on June 22. Police have no information the wheelchair thefts are connected, but it's something they'll be looking into, Padilla said.